Left, Ciel in her home studio, where she develops her distinctive approach to electronic music through composition, diasporic memory and innovation. Photographer: Sofie Stenmark. Right, Ciel performing at Dimensions Festival in Croatia, in front of a crowd of fans during a late-night set. Photographer: Pozitivan Ritam.
Ciel’s Sonic Return Home: A JUNO-Winning Debut of Diaspora and Discovery
Fresh off a JUNO win for her single, Bamboo, Toronto-based artist Ciel (Cindy Li) is gaining recognition not just for her sound, but for the cultural depth behind it. Her debut album, Homesick—supported through a Canada Council for the Arts grant—is more than just an album. It is a vivid sonic memoir of diasporic identity, crafted with care and intention. Shaped by the isolation of the pandemic and a rise in anti-Chinese racism, Homesick reflects Ciel’s experience as a Chinese-Canadian artist navigating life in the diaspora. Layering these experiences into sound, she creates an immersive soundscape that bridges memory, migration and a deep sense of connection.
From blueprint to breakthrough: A sound plan, realized
The recognition of Bamboo as the Underground Dance Single of the Year at the JUNO Awards—Canada’s premier celebration of artistic achievement in music—was more than a career milestone. For artists in Canada, a JUNO win can mark a defining moment, elevating their national profile and opening doors to new opportunities. For Ciel, it also affirmed the depth of intention behind her music production. As the first track she wrote for Homesick, “Bamboo” came together instinctively, its simplicity part of what made it resonate so widely.
Supported by a Concept to Realization grant, Ciel meticulously built her debut album from the ground up, following through on the vision she laid out in her grant application. “I really did everything I said I would,” she shared. “That gave me confidence—knowing I could lay out a plan and bring it to life.” It was a turning point: the process affirmed her ability to lead, manage and execute a deeply personal project from start to finish. The funding made space for her to collaborate with instrumentalists, acquire equipment and craft music that mirrored ancestral memory and artistic innovation.
“I really did everything I said I would.”
— Ciel
Rooted in her experience as a diasporic artist, Homesick emerged as both a personal reckoning and an artistic response to a painful cultural moment. Amid the surge in anti-Chinese sentiment during the pandemic, the music channels the weight of alienation, hostility and cultural dissonance into something reflective and resonant—honouring heritage while reimagining it through sound. While moulded by tradition, the album’s form is unmistakably contemporary: a genre-blending work that moves between house, breaks, electro and downtempo.
Sampling the self: Ancestral tones in contemporary sound
inspired by the traditional classification of Chinese instruments.
Photo courtesy of Ciel.
Traditional Chinese instruments weren’t just layered into Homesick—they were its language. Through them, Ciel spoke to memory and a deepening connection to heritage. “It would not be Homesick without the element of Chinese instrumentation,” she explained. The album’s nine tracks each correspond to a distinct instrumental category: eight draw from the traditional classification of Chinese instruments—silk, bamboo, wood, stone, metal, clay, gourd and hide—while a ninth, “Breath,” centres on Chinese opera vocals, a form that remains central to the country’s cultural and musical identity. Using the funding she received, she brought in performers to play the guzheng and the xiao and taught herself smaller hand drums like the kuaiban and muyu.
For Ciel, sampling isn’t just a technique, but a method of composition, reconnection and reclamation. Immersing herself in the lineage of traditional Chinese music expanded her creative vocabulary, offering new textures and techniques that expanded what her music could hold. “I think I’m more Chinese now than I was in 2020,” she reflected. “And I don’t think I’ll ever stop sampling from where I come from.”
Finding home through Homesick: An album of belonging
Homesick was more than a debut—it was a breakthrough. “I never thought I could write an album,” Ciel said. Completing it helped rebuild her self-belief and clarified what her artistry could hold. It also offered a way to transform cultural shame and disconnection into something restorative. “You carry a lot of responsibility and a lot of meaning in the things that you do,” she reflected—especially as a diasporic artist. That weight shaped the album’s emotional core and helped it resonate beyond genre or identity.
While the JUNO award marked a major milestone, Homesick’s greater impact may lie in what it offers to others navigating questions of culture and belonging. “You don’t have to reject where you come from to belong,” Ciel said. “Even if you’re still figuring it out, just start the conversation. Host, DJ, create—and your people will come.”
Ciel’s album, Homesick, was supported by a Concept to Realization grant. The Concept to Realization component of the Explore and Create program supports the full creative cycle—from the initial idea through to presentation, at any stage of the creative continuum. Canadian artists, artistic groups and arts organizations can apply for funding to create projects intended for presentation. Grants provide support for artistic research, creation, project development, remounts, production, post-production and presentation.
Photo courtesy of Ciel.